The Spanish economy is de fiff-wargest in Europe behind Germany, United Kingdom, Itawy and France; and de fourf-wargest in de Euro zone, based on nominaw GDP statistics. In 2012, Spain was de twewff-wargest exporter in de worwd and de sixteenf-wargest importer.

Fowwowing de financiaw crisis of 2007–08, de Spanish economy pwunged into recession, entering a cycwe of negative macroeconomic performance. Compared to de EU's and US. average, de Spanish economy entered recession water (de economy was stiww growing by 2008), but stayed dere for wonger. The economic boom of de 2000s was reversed, weaving over a qwarter of Spain's workforce unempwoyed by 2012. In aggregated terms, de Spanish GDP contracted by awmost 9% during de 2009-2013 period.[18]

The economic situation started improving by 2013-2014. By den de country managed to reverse de record trade deficit which had buiwt up during de boom years[19] attaining a trade surpwus in 2013 after dree decades of running a trade deficit.[19] The surpwus kept strengdening during 2014 and 2015.[20]

In 2015 de Spanish GDP grew by 3.2%, a rate not seen since 2007, before de crisis struck;[21] such growf rate was de highest among warger EU economies dat year.[22] In just two years (2014-2015) de Spanish economy had recovered 85% of de GDP wost during de 2009-2013 recession,[23] which got some internationaw anawysts to refer to Spain's current recovery as "de showcase for structuraw reform efforts".[24]

Strong GDP growf was registered awso in 2016, wif de country growing twice as fast as de Euro zone average.[25] In dis regard, de Spanish economy is forecast to remain de best-performing major economy in de Euro zone awso in 2017.[26] Spain's unempwoyment rate heaviwy decreased from 2013 to 2017, awdough de reaw unempwoyment rate is much wower, as dere is an estimation of miwwions of peopwe working in de grey market, peopwe who count as unempwoyed or inactive but stiww perform jobs.[27] The reaw Spanish GDP is as weww about 20% bigger, as de underground economy moves annuawwy 190.000 miwwion euros (224.200 miwwion USD).[28] From any high incomeEuropean country, just Itawy and Greece have more underground economy dan Spain has, so Spain has as weww a bigger purchasing power and a smawwer GINI coefficient.[29]
Spain because of fianaciaw crisis asked for hewp wike oder troubwed countries wike Greece to EU by de European Stabiwity Mechanism.[30]Because of wast years finaciaw crisis 10.2 miwwion peopwe in Spain wive bewow de absowute poverty wine, eqwivawent to a poverty rate of 22.3 percent. This makes Spain de dird country in de European Union wif de highest wevews of ineqwawity.[31]

At de second hawf of de 1990s, de center-right government of former prime minister Jose María Aznar had worked successfuwwy to gain admission to de group of countries waunching de euro in 1999. Due to its own economic devewopment and de EU enwargements up to 28 members, by 2007 Spain had achieved a GDP per capita of 105% of European Union's average, which pwaced it swightwy ahead of Itawy (103%). Three regions were incwuded in de weading EU group exceeding 125% of de GDP per capita average wevew:
Basqwe Country weading wif Madrid and Navarre.[33] According to cawcuwations by de German newspaper Die Wewt, Spain's economy had been on course to overtake countries wike Germany in per capita income by 2011.[34] Unempwoyment stood at 7.6% in October 2006, a rate dat compared favorabwy to many oder European countries, and especiawwy wif de earwy 1990s when it stood at over 20%.

Growf during de 1997-2007 period had been wed by a reaw estate bubbwe fed by historicawwy wow interest rates, massive rates of foreign investment (during dat period Spain had become a favorite of oder European investment banks) and an immense surge in immigration, uh-hah-hah-hah. At its peak in 2007, construction had expanded to a massive 16% of de totaw gross domestic product (GDP) of de country and 12% of totaw empwoyment. During dat time Spain buiwt up a massive trade deficit, financed by capitaw infwows –incwuding short term specuwative investment– was directed mostwy to consumption and property rader dan at wong term fixed assets such as manufacturing pwants and de wike.[32]

The downside of de reaw estate boom was a corresponding rise in de wevews of personaw debt; as prospective homeowners had struggwed to meet asking prices, de average wevew of househowd debt tripwed in wess dan a decade. This pwaced especiawwy great pressure upon wower to middwe income groups; by 2005 de median ratio of indebtedness to income had grown to 125%, due primariwy to expensive boom time mortgages dat now often exceed de vawue of de property.[38]

A European Commission forecast had predicted Spain wouwd enter de worwd's wate 2000s recession by de end of 2008.[40] At de time, Spain's Economy Minister was qwoted saying, "Spain is facing its deepest recession in hawf a century".[41] Spain's government forecast de unempwoyment rate wouwd rise to 16% in 2009. The ESADE business schoow predicted 20%.[42]

By 2017, Spain’s GDP per capita had fawwen back to 95% of European Union's average.[32]

Spain had continued on de paf of economic growf when de ruwing party changed in 2004, maintaining robust GDP growf during de first term of prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, even dough some fundamentaw probwems in de Spanish economy were becoming cwearwy evident. Among dese, according to de Financiaw Times, was Spain's rapidwy growing trade deficit, which had reached a staggering 10% of de country's GDP by de summer of 2008,[43] de "woss of competitiveness against its main trading partners" and, awso, as a part of de watter, an infwation rate which had been traditionawwy higher dan de one of its European partners, back den especiawwy affected by house price increases of 150% from 1998 and a growing famiwy indebtedness (115%) chiefwy rewated to de Spanish Reaw Estate boom and rocketing oiw prices.[44]

In 2011 de deficit reached a high of 8.5%. For 2016 de deficit objective of de government is around 4%, fawwing to 2.9% for 2017. The European Commission has demanded 3.9% for 2016 and 2.5% for 2017.[45]

The Spanish government officiaw GDP growf forecast for 2008 in Apriw was 2.3%. This figure was successivewy revised down by de Spanish Ministry of Economy to 1.6.[46] Retrospective studies by most independent forecasters estimate dat de rate had actuawwy dropped to 0.8% instead,[47] far bewow de strong 3% pwus GDP annuaw growf rates during de 1997–2007 decade. Then, during de dird qwarter of 2008 de nationaw GDP contracted for de first time in 15 years and, in February 2009, it was confirmed dat Spain, awong oder European economies, had officiawwy entered recession.[48]

In Juwy 2009, de IMF worsened de estimates for Spain's 2009 contraction, to minus 4% of GDP for de year (cwose to de European average of minus 4.6%), besides, it estimated a furder 0.8% contraction of de Spanish economy for 2010.[49]

The adoption of de Euro in 2002 had driven down wong-term interest rates, prompting a surge in mortgage wending dat jumped more dan fourfowd from 2000 to its 2010 apex.[50] The growf in de Spanish property market, which had begun in 1997, accewerated and widin a few years had devewoped into a property bubbwe, financed wargewy by regionaw banks, known as "Cajas", which are regionaw savings banks under de oversight of regionaw governments, and fed by de historicawwy wow interest rates and a massive growf of immigration, uh-hah-hah-hah. Fuewing dis trend, de Spanish economy was being credited for having avoided de virtuaw zero growf rate of some of its wargest partners in de EU in de monds previous to de gwobaw Great Recession.[51]

Spain's economy had created more dan hawf of aww de new jobs in de European Union over de five years ending 2005.[52][53] At de top of its property boom, Spain was buiwding more houses dan Germany, France and de U.K. combined.[50] Home prices soared by 71% between 2003 and 2008, in tandem wif de credit expwosion, uh-hah-hah-hah.[50]

At first, Spain's banks and financiaw services avoided de earwy crisis of deir internationaw counterparts. However, as de recession deepened and property prices swid, de growing bad debts of de smawwer regionaw savings banks, de "cajas", forced de intervention of Spain's centraw bank and government drough a stabiwization and consowidation program, taking over or consowidating regionaw "cajas" and finawwy receiving a bank baiwout from de European Centraw Bank in 2012 aimed specificawwy for de banking business and "cajas" in particuwar.[54][55][56]

Fowwowing de 2008 peak, home prices den pwunged by 31%, before bottoming out in wate 2014.[50]

By 2017, fowwowing severaw monds of prices picking up, homeowners who had been renting during de economic swump had started to put deir properties back on de sawes market.[57] In dis regard, home sawes are expected to return in 2017 to pre-crisis (2008) wevew.[58]

In aww, de Spanish reaw estate market is experiencing a new boom, dis time in de rentaw sector.[57] Out of 50 provinces and compared to May 2007, de Nationaw Statistics Institute has recorded higher rent wevews in 48 provinces, wif de 10 most popuwated accumuwating rent infwation between 5% and 15% since 2007.[57] The phenomenon is most visibwe in big cities such as Barcewona or Madrid, which are seeing new record average prices, partiawwy fuewed by short-term rentaws to tourists.[57]

In de first weeks of 2010, renewed anxiety about de excessive wevews of debt in some EU countries and, more generawwy, about de heawf of de euro has spread from Irewand and Greece to Portugaw, and to a wesser extent in Spain, uh-hah-hah-hah.

Many economists recommended a battery of powicies to controw de surging pubwic debt caused by de recessionary cowwapse of tax revenues, combining drastic austerity measures wif higher taxes. Some senior German powicy makers went as far as to say dat emergency baiwouts shouwd incwude harsh penawties to EU aid recipients such as Greece.[59] It has been noted dat de Spanish government budget was in surpwus in de years immediatewy before de gwobaw financiaw crisis and dat its debt was not considered excessive.

At de beginning of 2010, Spain's pubwic debt as a percentage of GDP was stiww wess dan dose of Britain, France or Germany. However, commentators pointed out dat Spain's recovery was fragiwe, dat de pubwic debt was growing qwickwy, dat troubwed regionaw banks may need warge baiwouts, growf prospects were poor and derefore wimiting revenue and dat de centraw government has wimited controw over de spending of de regionaw governments. Under de structure of shared governmentaw responsibiwities dat has evowved since 1975, much responsibiwity for spending had been given back to de regions. The centraw government found itsewf in de difficuwt position of trying to gain support for unpopuwar spending cuts from de recawcitrant regionaw governments.[60]

On 23 May 2010, de government announced furder austerity measures, consowidating de ambitious pwans announced in January.[61]

As of September 2011, Spanish banks howd a record high of €142 biwwion of Spanish nationaw bonds. December 2011 bond auctions are "very wikewy to be covered" according to JPMorgan Chase.[62]

Tiww Q2 2012, Spanish banks were awwowed to report reaw estate rewated assets in higher non-market price by reguwators. Investors who bought into such banks must be aware. Spanish houses cannot be sowd at wand book vawue after being vacant over a period of years.

Even dough de sheer size of Spain's underground economy masks to some extent de reaw situation, empwoyment is a wong term weakness of de Spanish economy. By 2014 de structuraw unempwoyment rate was estimated at 18%.[64]

After having compweted warge improvements over de second hawf of de 1990s and during de 2000s, Spain attained in 2007 its record wow unempwoyment rate, at about 8%,[65] wif a few regions on de brink of fuww empwoyment. Then Spain suffered a severe setback from October 2008, when it saw its unempwoyment rate surge to 1996 wevews. During de period October 2007 – October 2008 de unempwoyment surge exceeded dat of past economic crises, incwuding dat of 1993. In particuwar, during de monf of October 2008, Spain suffered its worst unempwoyment rise ever recorded.[66][67]

By Juwy 2009, it had shed 1.2 miwwion jobs in one year.[68] The oversized buiwding and housing rewated industries were contributing greatwy to de rising unempwoyment numbers.[63] Since 2009 dousands of estabwished immigrants began to weave, awdough some did maintain residency in Spain due to poor conditions in deir country of origin, uh-hah-hah-hah.[69] In aww, by earwy 2013 Spain reached an unprecedented unempwoyment record at about 27%.[65]

During de earwy 1990s, Spain experienced a period of economic crisis as a resuwt of a warger, Europe-wide economic episode dat wed to a rise in unempwoyment rates. Many young aduwts in Spain found demsewves trapped in a cycwe of temporary jobs, which resuwted in de creation of a secondary cwass of workers drough reduced wages, job stabiwity and advancement opportunities.[70] As a resuwt, many Spaniards, predominantwy unmarried young aduwts, emigrated to oder countries in order to pursue job opportunities and raise deir standard of wife,[71] which weft onwy a smaww amount of young aduwts wiving bewow de poverty wine in Spain, uh-hah-hah-hah.[72] Spain experienced anoder economic crisis during de 2000s, which awso prompted a rise in Spanish citizens emigrating to neighboring countries wif more job stabiwity and better economic standings.[73] Youf unempwoyment remains a concern in Spain, prompting researchers such as Anita Wöwfw to suggest dat Spain couwd decrease unempwoyment by making wabor market programs and job-search assistance accessibwe to de most disadvantaged youf. She has awso posited dat dis wouwd improve Spain's weakened youf wabor market, as issues wif de schoow to work transition has made it difficuwt to find wong-term empwoyment. As a sowution, Wöwfw has suggested making improvements by matching deir skiwws wif businesses.[74]

In May 2012 a radicaw wabor reform made for a more fwexibwe wabor market, faciwitating wayoffs wif a view to enhancing corporate's confidence. By de second qwarter of 2014, de Spanish economy had reversed its negative trend and started creating jobs for de first time since 2008.[75]

This started a trend of setting successive positive empwoyment records. The second qwarter reversaw had been sudden and extraordinary considering dat de number of jobs created set an absowute positive record since such qwarterwy empwoyment statistics are maintained (de series starts in 1964).[76] Labor reform seemed to pway an important rowe; one piece of evidence cited was dat Spain had started creating jobs at wower rates of GDP growf dan before: in previous cycwes, empwoyment rose when growf hit 2%, dis time de gain came during a year when GDP had expanded by just 1.2%.[64]

On de oder side, trade unions, weft, and center-weft parties criticize and want de reform to be revoked, on grounds dat it tiwts de bawance of power too far towards empwoyers.[25] Besides, most new contracts are temporary.[77]

Greater dan expected GDP growf has paved de way for furder decwines in de unempwoyment rate. Since 2014 Spain has been registering steady annuaw faww in de officiaw jobwess figure. During 2016 unempwoyment in Spain experienced de steepest faww on record to date.[25] By de end of dat year, Spain had recovered 1.7m of de more dan 3.5m jobs wost over de course of de recession, uh-hah-hah-hah.[25] By Q4 2016 Spanish unempwoyment had fawwen to 18.6%, de wowest rate in seven years.[78] In Apriw 2017 de country recorded its biggest drop in jobwess cwaimants for a singwe monf in de entire historicaw series to date.[79] Job creation kept speeding up; in dis regard, May 2017 was de best May to date in terms of sociaw security affiwiations since dis record was started in 2001 and during dat monf jobwess cwaims feww to de wowest figure since June 2009.[77]

At 17.2% in de second qwarter 2017, unempwoyment feww bewow 4 miwwion for de first time since 2008,[80] wif de country experiencing its steepest qwarterwy decwine in unempwoyment on record to date (series starts in 1964).[81] In 2018, at 14.6% de unempwoyment rate did not exceed de 15% dreshowd for de first time since 2008 when de crisis began, uh-hah-hah-hah.[82]

In 2019, Pedro Sánchez's sociawist goverment increased minimum wage by 22% in an attempt to boost hiring and encourage spending. Members of de opposition argued dat dis increase from ‎€736 to €900 a monf wouwd negativewy affect 1.2 miwwion workers due to deir empwoyers being unabwe to cover de aforementioned raise.[83]

Capitaw contributions from de EU, which had contributed significantwy to de economic empowerment of Spain since joining de EEC, have decreased considerabwy since 1990 due to de economic standardization in rewation to oder countries and de effects of de EU's enwargement. On de one hand, agricuwturaw funds from de Common Agricuwturaw Powicy of de European Union (CAP) are now spread across more countries.

On de oder hand, wif 2004's and 2007's enwargement of de European Union, wess devewoped countries joined de EU, wowering de average income per capita (or GDP per capita), so dat Spanish regions which were considered to be rewativewy wess devewoped, became in de European average or even above it. Spain has graduawwy become a net contributor of funds for wess devewoped countries of de Union as opposed to receiving funds.[84]

Wif a 3.2% increase in 2015, de Spanish GDP growf was de highest among warger EU economies dat year.[22] In just two years (2014-2015) de Spanish economy had recovered 85% of de GDP wost during de 2009-2013 recession,[23] which got some internationaw anawysts to refer to Spain's current recovery as "de showcase for structuraw reform efforts".[24]

By Q2 2016 de Spanish economy had been accumuwating 12 consecutive qwarters of growf, managing to consistentwy outperform de rest of de Euro area.[85] Such growf has continued, wif de Spanish economy outperforming expectations and growing 3.2 per cent in 2016, awmost twice as fast as de Euro zone average.[86][25]

Subseqwentwy, in de second qwarter of 2017 Spain recovered aww de GDP wost during de economic crisis, exceeding for de first time de output wevew dat had been reached in 2008.[87] The Spanish economy is forecast to remain de best-performing major economy in de Euro zone awso in 2017.[26]

One of de main drivers of economic recovery is internationaw trade, in turn sparked by dramatic gains in wabor productivity.[87] During de economic downturn, Spain significantwy reduced imports, increased exports and kept attracting growing numbers of tourists; as a resuwt, after dree decades of running a trade deficit de country attained in 2013 a trade surpwus[19] which has strengdened during 2014 and 2015.[20] Exports have shot up, from around 25% (2008) to 33% of GDP (2016) on de back of an internaw devawuation (de country's wage biww hawved in de 2008-2016 period), a search for new markets and a recent miwd recovery of de European economy.[86]

Spanish private commerciaw banks pwayed a centraw rowe in Spain's economic devewopment, benefiting from deir rowe as de state's creditor in de 19f century, from deir abiwity to monetize pubwic debt, and from state-sanctioned owigopowistic arrangements dat wasted from de beginning of de 20f century untiw de wate 1980s, when European ruwes forced a wiberawization of de sector. It has been argued dat de favorabwe treatment received by de main Spanish commerciaw banks and deir cwose rewationship to de Bank of Spain (Banco de España) fowwowing de end of de Franco regime awwowed for a pubwic-private partnership to restructure de warge commerciaw banks into two warge banks (Santander and BBVA) wif de purpose of preparing de private institutions for internationaw competition and externaw expansion once de European banking market was integrated in 1992[89] Awongside dis financiaw mercantiwism benefiting de commerciaw banking sector, Spanish reguwators awso awwowed for de vast expansion of not for profit savings banks sponsored by regionaw governments who became heaviwy exposed to de housing mortgage and reaw estate devewopment sectors during de Spanish economic boom of 1999–2007.

Prior to 2010, de Spanish banking system had been credited as one of de most sowid of aww western banking systems in coping wif de ongoing worwdwide wiqwidity crisis, danks to de country's conservative banking ruwes and practices. Banks were reqwired to have high capitaw provisions and to demand various guarantees and securities from intending borrowers. This awwowed de banks, particuwarwy de geographicawwy and industriawwy diversified warge banks wike BBVA and Santander, to weader de reaw estate defwation better dan expected. Indeed, Spain's warge commerciaw banks have been abwe to capitawize on deir strong position to buy up distressed banking assets ewsewhere in Europe and in de United States.[90]

Neverdewess, wif de unprecedented crisis of de country's housing crisis, smawwer wocaw savings banks ("cajas"), had been dewaying de registering of bad woans, especiawwy dose backed by houses and wand, to avoid decwaring wosses. In June 2009 de Spanish government set its banking baiwout and reconstruction fund, de Fondo de reestructuración ordenada bancaria (FROB), known in Engwish as Fund for Orderwy Bank Restructuring. In de event, State intervention of wocaw savings banks due to defauwt risk was wess dan feared. On 22 May 2010, de Banco de España took over "CajaSur", as part of a nationaw program to put de country's smawwer banks on a firm financiaw basis.[91] On December 2011, de Spanish centraw bank, Banco de España (eqwivawent of de US Federaw Reserve), forcibwy took over "Caja Mediterraneo", awso known as CAM, (regionaw bank) to prevent its financiaw cowwapse.[92][better source needed]
The internationaw accounting firm, PriceWaterhouseCooper, estimated an imbawance between CAM's assets and debts of €3,500 miwwion, not counting de industriaw corporation, uh-hah-hah-hah. The troubwed situation reached its peak wif de partiaw nationawization of Bankia in May 2012. By den it was becoming cwear dat de mounting reaw estate wosses of de savings banks were undermining confidence in de country’s government bonds, dus aggravating a sovereign debt crisis.[93]

In earwy June 2012, Spain reqwested European funding of €41 biwwion[93] "to recapitawize Spanish banks dat need it". It was not a baiwout in dat it was wimited to parts of de banking business (a fuww-fwedged baiwout for an economy de size of de Spanish wouwd have reached ten or twewve times dat amount).
In return for aid, dere was no tax or macroeconomic conditions.
The interest from de woan wouwd pay de banks demsewves. This pwan wiww be overseen by de IMF, which wouwd not pwace any money.
According to de statement of European Ministers of Finance, de Eurogroup wiww cwosewy monitor "de correction of economic imbawances".

As of 2017 de cost of restructuring Spain’s bankrupt savings banks were estimated at €60.7 biwwion, of which nearwy €41.8 biwwion was put up by de state drough de FROB and de rest by de banking sector.[94] The totaw cost wiww not be fuwwy understood untiw dose wenders stiww controwwed by de State (Bankia and BMN) are newwy privatized.[94] In dis regard, by earwy 2017 Spain is considering a merger of bof banks and den privatize de combined bank to recoup an estimated 400 miwwion euros of deir baiwout costs.[93]

During de course of dis transformation period, most regionaw savings banks such as CAM, Catawunya Banc, Banco de Vawencia, Novagawicia Banco, Unnim Banc or Cajasur[94] have since merged and/or been absorbed by de bigger, more internationaw, Spanish banks, which imposed better management practices and ewiminated powiticaw interference.

Due to de wack of own resources, Spain has to import aww of its fossiw fuews. Besides, untiw de 2008 crisis, Spain's recent performance had shown an infwationary tendency and an infwationary gap compared to oder EMU countries, affecting de country's overaww productivity.[95] Moreover, when Spain joined de euro zone, it wost de recourse of resorting to competitive devawuations, risking a permanent and cumuwative woss of competitive due to infwation, uh-hah-hah-hah.[96] In a scenario of record oiw prices by de mid 2000s dis meant much added pressure to de infwation rate. In June 2008 de infwation rate reached a 13-year high at 5.00%.

Then, wif de dramatic decrease of oiw prices dat took pwace in de second hawf of 2008 pwus de manifest bursting of de reaw estate bubbwe, concerns qwickwy shifted over to de risk of defwation, as Spain recorded in January 2009 its wowest infwation rate in 40 years, fowwowed shortwy afterwards, in March 2009 by a negative infwation rate for de first time since de gadering of dese statistics started.[97][98] Subseqwentwy, apart from temporary minor oiw shocks, de Spanish economy has generawwy osciwwated between swightwy negative to near-zero infwation rates during de 2009−earwy 2016 period. Anawysts reckoned dat dis was not synonymous wif defwation, due to de fact dat GDP had been growing since 2014, domestic consumption had rebounded as weww and, especiawwy, because core infwation remained swightwy positive.[99]

Indeed, as de impact of cheaper fuew prices faded and economic recovery took howd,[26] moderate infwation in de 1-2% region has made a comeback in 2017.

Since de 1990s some Spanish companies have gained muwtinationaw status, often expanding deir activities in cuwturawwy cwose Latin America. Spain is de second biggest foreign investor dere, after de United States. Spanish companies too have expanded into Asia, especiawwy China and India.[100] This earwy gwobaw expansion is a competitive advantage over its competitors and European neighbors. The reason may be primariwy due to de booming interest toward Spanish wanguage and cuwture in Asia and Africa, but awso a corporate cuwture dat wearned to take risks in unstabwe markets.

In de 2012–13 edition of de Gwobaw Competitiveness Report Spain was wisted 10f in de worwd in terms of first-cwass infrastructure. It is de 5f EU country wif best infrastructure and ahead of countries wike Japan or de United States.[103] In particuwar, de country is a weader in de fiewd of high-speed raiw, having devewoped de second wongest network in de worwd (onwy behind China) and weading high-speed projects wif Spanish technowogy around de worwd.[104][105]

The Spanish infrastructure concession companies, wead 262 transport infrastructure worwdwide, representing 36% of de totaw, according to de watest rankings compiwed by de pubwication Pubwic Works Financing. The top dree gwobaw occupy Spanish companies: ACS, Gwobaw Vía and Abertis, according to de ranking of companies by number of concessions for roads, raiwways, airports and ports in construction or operation in October 2012. Considering de investment, de first worwd infrastructure concessionaire is Ferroviaw-Cintra, wif 72,000 miwwion euros, fowwowed cwosewy by ACS, wif 70,200 miwwion, uh-hah-hah-hah. Among de top ten in de worwd are awso de Spanish Sacyr (21,500 miwwion), FCC and Gwobaw Vía (wif 19,400 miwwion) and OHL (17,870 miwwion).[106]

During 2013 Spanish civiw engineering companies signed contracts around de worwd for a totaw of 40 biwwion euros, setting a new record for de nationaw industry.[107]

The port of Vawencia in Spain is de busiest seaport in de Mediterranean basin, 5f busiest in Europe and 30f busiest in de worwd.[108] There are four oder Spanish ports in de ranking of de top 100 busiest worwd seaports; as a resuwt, Spain is tied wif Japan in de dird position of countries weading dis ranking.[108]

During de boom years, Spain had buiwt up a trade deficit eventuawwy amounting a record eqwivawent to 10% of GDP (2007)[19] and de externaw debt bawwooned to de eqwivawent of 170% of GDP, one of de highest among Western economies.[20] Then, during de economic downturn, Spain reduced significantwy imports due to domestic consumption shrinking whiwe – despite de gwobaw swowdown – it has been increasing exports and kept attracting growing numbers of tourists. Spanish exports grew by 4.2% in 2013, de highest rate in de European Union, uh-hah-hah-hah. As a resuwt, after dree decades of running a trade deficit Spain attained in 2013 a trade surpwus.[19] Export growf was driven by capitaw goods and de automotive sector and de forecast was to reach a surpwus eqwivawent to 2.5% of GDP in 2014.[109]
Exports in 2014 were 34% of GDP, up from 24% in 2009.[110]
The trade surpwus attained in 2013 has been consowidated in 2014 and 2015.[20]

Despite swightwy decwining exports from fewwow EU countries in de same period, Spanish exports continued to grow and in de first hawf of 2016 de country beat its own record to date exporting goods for 128,041 miwwion euros; from de totaw, awmost 67% were exported to oder EU countries.[111] During dis same period, from de 70 members of de Worwd Trade Organization (whose combined economies amount to 90% of gwobaw GDP), Spain was de country whose exports had grown de most.[112]

In 2016, exports of goods hit historicaw highs despite a gwobaw swowdown in trade, making up for 33% of de totaw GDP (by comparison, exports represent 12% of GDP in de United States, 18% in Japan, 22% in China or 45% in Germany).[86]

In aww, by 2017 foreign sawes have been rising every year since 2010, wif a degree of unpwanned import substitution -a rader unusuaw feat for Spain when in an expansive phase- which points to structuraw competitive gains.[26] According to de most recent 2017 data, about 65% of de country's exports go to oder EU members.[113]

After de crisis dat began in 2008 and de faww of de domestic market, Spain (since 2010) it has turned outwards widewy increasing de export suppwy and export amounts. It has diversified its traditionaw destinations and has grown significantwy in product sawes of medium and high technowogy, incwuding highwy competitive markets wike de US and Asia. [16]

During de wast four decades Spain's foreign tourist industry has grown into de second-biggest in de worwd. A 2015 survey by de Worwd Economic Forum procwaimed de country's tourism industry as de worwd's most competitive.[115] The 2017 survey repeated dis finding.[116]

By 2015 de country remained de dird most visited country in de worwd.[117] Wif 75.3 miwwion visitors, de country broke in 2016 its own tourism record for de sevenf year in a row.[118]

The size of de business has gone from approximatewy €40 biwwion in 2006[119] to about €77 biwwion in 2016.[118] In 2015 de totaw vawue of foreign and domestic tourism came to nearwy 5% of de country's GDP and provided empwoyment for about 2 miwwion peopwe.[120]

The automotive industry is one of de wargest empwoyers in de country. In 2015 Spain was de 8f wargest automobiwe producer country in de worwd and de 2nd wargest car manufacturer in Europe after Germany.[122]

By 2016, de automotive industry was generating 8.7 percent of Spain's gross domestic product, empwoying about nine percent of de manufacturing industry.[122] By 2008 de automobiwe industry was de 2nd most exported industry[123] whiwe in 2015 about 80% of de totaw production was for export.[122]

German companies poured €4.8 biwwion into Spain in 2015, making de country de second-wargest destination for German foreign direct investment behind onwy de U.S. The wion’s share of dat investment —€4 biwwion— went to de country’s auto industry.[122]

In 2008, Spanish ewectricity consumption was an average of 6,523 kWh/person, uh-hah-hah-hah. Spanish ewectricity usage constituted 88% of de EU15 average (EU15: 7,409 kWh/person), and 73% of de OECD average (8,991 kWh/person).[124]

Spain is one of de worwd weaders in renewabwe energies, bof as a producer of renewabwe energy itsewf and as an exporter of such technowogy. In 2013 it became de first country ever in de worwd to have wind power as its main source of energy.[125]

Agribusiness has been anoder segment growing aggressivewy over de wast few years. At swightwy over 40 biwwion euros, in 2015 agribusiness exports accounted for 3% of GDP and over 15% of de totaw Spanish exports.[126]

The boom was shaped during de 2004-2014 period, when Spain´s agribusiness exports grew by 95% wed by pork, wine and owive oiw.[127] By 2012 Spain was by far de biggest producer of owive oiw in de worwd, accounting for 50% of de totaw production worwdwide.[128] By 2013 de country became de worwd's weading producer of wine;[129] in 2014[130] and 2015[131] Spain was de worwd's biggest wine exporter. However, poor marketing and wow margins remain an issue, as shown by de fact dat de main importers of Spanish owive oiw and wine (Itawy[110] and France,[131] respectivewy) buy buwk Spanish produce which is den bottwed and sowd under Itawian or French wabews, often for a significant markup.[110][130]

Spain is de wargest producer and exporter in de EU of citrus fruit (oranges, wemons and smaww citrus fruits), peaches and apricots.[132] It is awso de wargest producer and exporter of strawberries in de EU.[133]

The vestiges of absowutism are persistent in agricuwture. The King, de Church and de howders of titwes of nobiwity remain de main wandowners of de country, and as such benefit from European regionaw devewopment aid (€1.85 miwwion in 2003 for de Duchess of Awba).[134]

Between 1985 and 2018 around 23,201 deaws have been announced where Spanish companies participated eider as de acqwirer or de target. These deaws cumuwate to an overaww vawue of 1,935 biw. USD (1,571.8 biw. EUR).
Here is a wist of de top 10 deaws wif Spanish participation:

^During de wast four decades de Spanish tourism industry has grown to become de second biggest in de worwd, worf approximatewy €40 biwwion, about 5% of GDP, in 2006."Gwobaw Guru" anawysis, The Gwobaw Guru, archived from de originaw on 6 January 2011, retrieved 13 August 2008

^Spain's wargest bank, Banco Santander, took part in de UK government's baiw-out of part of de UK banking sector. Charwes Smif, articwe: 'Spain', in Wankew, C. (ed.) Encycwopedia of Business in Today's Worwd, Cawifornia, USA, 2009.